Safekipedia
1572 worksPaintings by Maarten van HeemskerckSeven Wonders of the Ancient World

Octo Mundi Miracula

Adapted from Wikipedia · Explorer experience

Historical artwork showing the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, including famous ancient structures.

Octo Mundi Miracula

Octo Mundi Miracula is a special set of old pictures made in 1572. An artist named Philips Galle made the pictures, and they were based on drawings by another artist, Maarten van Heemskerck. Each picture shows an old and famous building from long ago.

These pictures are very special because they were the first to show all the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World together. Before this, people did not all agree on which buildings were the wonders. This work helped make the list we use today.

The pictures also include an eighth building, the Colosseum. This was inspired by an earlier painting by van Heemskerck. A teacher named Professor Andrew Hopkins from the University of L'Aquila said these pictures were very strong and helped make the list well-known.

The engravings show famous ancient buildings like the Great Pyramid of Giza, the Lighthouse of Alexandria, the Hanging Gardens, and the Walls of Babylon. There are also pictures of the Temple of Artemis, the Statue of Zeus at Olympia, the Colossus of Rhodes, the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, and the Colosseum of Rome.

Each picture has a poem in Latin by a poet named Hadrianus Junius. The poems share ideas and stories about the buildings.

Prints from the Octo Mundi Miracula series are kept safe in famous museums and libraries around the world. You can find them at the British Museum in London, the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, the Louvre in Paris, and the Herzog August Bibliothek in Wolfenbüttel.

Images

Historical artwork showing the Pyramids of Egypt, created by Philips Galle in 1572.
A 16th-century painting showing a famous scene from Greek mythology, featuring Paris and Helen among ancient wonders of the world.
Historical illustration from a 1547 book showing excerpts about the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
An old print showing the Pharos of Alexandria, one of the ancient world's greatest wonders.
Historical print of the ancient Walls of Babylon by Philips Galle, showcasing classical architecture and artistry.
Historical artwork showing the ancient Temple of Artemis in Ephesus, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
An artistic print of the Roman god Jupiter standing on Mount Olympus, created by Philips Galle in 1572.
An artistic depiction of the Colossus of Rhodes, one of the ancient world's greatest wonders.
An artistic illustration of the ancient Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, one of the world’s famous historical wonders.
Historical artwork of the Colosseum in Rome, created in 1572 by Philips Galle.
An old illustration showing Egyptian pyramids in the background and a pharaoh observing an eagle carrying a sandal, representing a mythological story.
An artistic depiction of Queen Semiramis on a lion hunt and the famous Hanging Gardens of Babylon, from a 16th-century engraving.
An artistic depiction of the Colossus of Rhodes, an ancient giant statue of the sun god Helios, standing in a harbor with ships passing beneath its legs. People are shown admiring the statue, which was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
Historical engraving showing the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus and the Colosseum, two famous ancient structures.

This article is a child-friendly adaptation of the Wikipedia article on Octo Mundi Miracula, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Images from Wikimedia Commons. Tap any image to view credits and license.